


Taking It For The Team - Part 3

by LoveYourArtFriend



Series: Taking It For The Team [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Chris Evans - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Romance, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveYourArtFriend/pseuds/LoveYourArtFriend
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Taking It For The Team [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1523456
Kudos: 5





	Taking It For The Team - Part 3

He watched the news, noting how she held herself, conducted herself. She had a good head on her shoulders and knew what she wanted out of life. Her last relationship came to such an abrupt end but he was there for her, as a friend. He respected her and gave her time but he wanted more. He wanted her.

~~~~~~

“Latte, Pep?”

“I’d love you forever.”

“You already do.”

“Yeah, I do,” she giggled as you made your way out of her office. 

“Be right back,” you stated as you exited. You waited at the elevator and as the doors opened for you to get on, Tony got off. “Hey Mister.”

“F/n!” he stated as he gave you a hug. “Afternoon latte?” he jested as he checked his watch. 

“You betcha. Gotta keep my girl happy.”

“Hmmm, maybe I should get some pointers from you.”

“Pffft, I’m so not the one you should be getting pointers from,” you laughed, causing your face to blush. “Can I bring you something? I’ll only be about ten minutes.”

“Nah, I’ve had enough caffeine today.”

“Okay, one strong black coffee coming up!” you stated as you went to step on the elevator.

“Wait!” he blurted.

You halted suddenly and stepped back beside him. “What’s the matter?”

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“For what?” you quirked a strange look at him.

“For hurting you.”

“What? When?” you retorted oddly. “In Alaska?”

Tony nodded solemnly.

“Tony, that,” you lifted your wrist to show it’s now greenish yellow hue, “That was…....no, Tony, just don’t.”

“Wow, talk much?” he jested.

“You know what I mean. Don’t you dare apologize. You saved my fucking life. I should be at your beck and call.” As soon as you said it, you regretted it.

“Really! Now that I can get used to.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” you swatted him across the arm, after which he carefully took your wrist in his hand and observed it’s coloring. 

“Shoulder movement okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Pain?”

“Barely any.” You cupped his sad looking face in your hands, “Please, Tony. I’m fine and it was an occupational hazard. No worries. I still love you.”

Tony instantly formed his signature smirk as he leaned in to your ear, “Just don’t tell my girlfriend.”

You burst out laughing as you finally stepped onto the elevator. “I’ll be back shortly, Mr. Stark,” you jested, knowing he didn’t like your use of such formalities.

He smiled as the doors closed then proceeded to Pepper’s office. “Sorry to say, Dear, I think you have competition.”

“I heard her laughing at you, Tony. I don’t think I have anything to worry about,” she smiled wickedly at her boyfriend.

Tony frowned for about three seconds.

~~~~~~

The pull was forceful enough to knock you off guard. The three beverages nestled in the carrying tray tipped and there was no saving the nectar of the Gods. They hit the ground, lids popping off and allowing the beloved liquid to run free. “Fuck you!” you yelled as your leg lifted and twisted to kick the assailant in the face. He let go of your purse and stumbled backward a couple steps. You have got to be shitting me! you blurted as you took a good look at him. He was a skinny little runt-of-a-man and when you raised your arms to throw a punch, he turned and high-tailed it down the sidewalk. You turned your head to the skies and let out a huge sigh. The cups stopped rolling and you turned your eyes to the brown pool covering the cement below. Looking at your purse, you noticed the strap had snapped and was hanging on by a couple heavy threads. He almost got it. After picking up the rogue cups and tossing them in the nearby trash, you turned and made your way back to the office. Screw the latte, you needed a whiskey.

~~~~~~

Barging into Pepper’s office, she and Tony watched you toss your almost destroyed purse on the chair and head straight to the bar cart. Their eyes were wide while they witnessed you pull the decanter top and shakily pour a half glass of the golden liquid. You didn’t even put the cap back on before you lifted your trembling arm to your mouth and swallowed the entire measure. Tony was so proud.

“Uh, F/n?” Pepper looked at Tony then back at you. “What’s going on?”

Tony walked over as you put the glass back on the cart and topped the decanter. He put his hands on your shoulders and forced you to look at him. “What’s wrong, are you okay?” He tilted his head toward your empty glass and smirked, “Good show, by the way.”

“Okay,” you sighed, “so something weird is going on,” you stepped from Tony’s grasp and headed toward Pepper. “Some skinny, weasel guy just tried to rip my purse off my shoulder when I was returning from the cafe.” You couldn’t see Tony’s face but he was starting to get angry. “I was able to grab and kick and he took off.” Tony’s face visibly calmed. “This is twice that my coffee run has ended in disaster and it’s pissing me off,” you stammered.

“Oh, Honey,” Pepper came from around her desk and gave you a hug. “You’re okay though?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we’ll just have to get through our merger paperwork and travel plans with whiskey,” she suggested softly.

Tony’s eyes widened, “And just where are my ladies going?”

“Detroit,” Pepper replied.

“Fewer muggers there, I hope," you jested, sarcastically.

~~~~~~

The next three days were a whirlwind as you and Pepper flew to Detroit to settle the merger. The news media were not your favorite group of people on a daily basis as the two of you toured around the Motor City. You and Pepper constantly shut down all the questions relating to Iron Man and tried to refocus everyone on the reason Stark Industries was in the border city.

This union will open many possibilities for Detroit as a border city to Canada. We have high ambitions of further expansion with our neighbor to the north, making trade more easily accessible with the location of this great city. Pepper went on to schmooze the business moguls and after a lengthy Q&A, she satiated their thirst for all things Stark.

You idolized this woman and were in complete awe whenever you watched her in action. When she exited the stage, you took her papers from her and walked with her to your awaiting car. Happy made arrangements with another professional chauffeur friend of his, Derek, and the two of you had him as your personal driver and extra security while you were away. Technically, you were Pepper’s bodyguard but even a bodyguard likes to have a bodyguard.

In the car, Pepper sat and watched you on your phone. “Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m booking you some pampering.” You looked up and saw her tired face begin to smile. “We’ll be back at the hotel in about twenty minutes so I made us an early lunch reservation in a private corner of the restaurant because I can tell you’re famished.” She nodded. “And then,” you continued, “I’m setting you free for a bit this afternoon. I’ve booked you a massage at one o’clock in your room and you can soak in the jacuzzi afterward. Derek will be ready to take us to Willow Run Airport at three thirty and the SI jet is set to depart at five.”

“Oh my,” she dropped her head back and briefly closed her eyes. When she lifted her head again, she looked thankfully at you, “What would I ever do without you?”

~~~~~~

Steve watched the CNN news and all that could be talked about during the business section was the Stark Industries merger that was happening in Detroit. It bothered him as the broadcast touched on the hyped media who wanted nothing but scoop on Tony. Knowing none of this would fizz the Billionaire, it was a reminder to the Captain that times had definitely changed and media was a free-for-all of anything goes in order to boost their ratings at the expense of others. He watched as you commanded the reporters and instantly changed the dynamic of the crowd. He smirked as he knew you'd be pissed.

You returned Thursday night, feeling good about Pepper's merger and pretty excited to get the contracts to Legal in the morning. Unlocking your apartment door, you stepped into a disturbing situation. Your apartment had been ransacked. Standing at the door, you dropped your keys and they clinked on the floor. Aware that your jaw was open, you proceeded through the mess, shock, sadness and anger coursing through your blood. You half yelled, “Who the fuck breaks into an apartment?”

“Hey F/n, welco……” Steve stood at the door with the intent to bring you dinner. He stopped short as his eyes scanned the room. “Oh shit.”

You turned on a dime and looked at him, probably more shocked about his choice of language than the apartment being ransacked.

Steve took the lead and immediately passed you, heading in to make sure the unit was safe. You quietly followed behind.

After a few minutes, you both deemed the apartment was clear and the culprit entered and exited after breaking your patio door to the fire escape. Your silence was killing Steve, he sensed you were tensing up as you started picking your items off the floor and deciding if they were damaged.

“Hey, why don't you grab what you need and come stay at my place tonight. I'll go with you to the landlord and maybe he can get the patio door replaced tomorrow. We can work on the clean up together.”

Without a word, you nodded your agreement and headed to your bedroom. Rifling through your closet, you found an outfit for the next day and simply grabbed your travel bag at the door, following Steve to his apartment down the hall. It smelled wonderful when he opened his door, he had clearly made something delicious for dinner. Leaving your luggage inside the entry, you both went down to the first floor and knocked on Mr. Jenson's door. He invited you in and within twenty minutes you had the story explained and he immediately made arrangements for a replacement door to be installed the next day. He wanted you to call the police but you declined as your main door was not damaged and you felt none of your possessions were stolen. Mr. Jenson wasn't happy with your answer but he let you leave as he assured you your door would be installed before mid afternoon.

Heading back up to Steve's apartment, he unlocked the door and let you enter first. When he closed the door, he suggested, “You're welcome to freshen up if you'd like. Dinner won't be ready for half an hour. Take your time.“

“Thank you, Steve,” you stated sadly as you took your luggage handle and headed down the hallway to his bathroom. He watched you until the bathroom door was closed and lost himself in his feelings. He was angry and sad for you. Of course all he wanted to do was fix this. He headed into his bedroom to change the sheets on his bed. He would insist you sleep there but in the meantime, he wasn’t sure whether he should contact the team. His overprotective self couldn’t get past the fact that you were being targeted. Who ransacks a third floor apartment, after all?

The warm water poured over your head as you stood motionless under the stream. Arms holding the wall up in front of you and eyes closed, you listened and contemplated. What the Hell was going on? Your train of thought was interrupted as you heard a ping from your phone that was resting on the countertop. You were done, clean as a whistle and figured you shouldn’t waste Steve’s hot water. After drying off and putting your pajamas on, you looked at your phone. Hmmm, voice mail, you commented and hit the button to start the message and listened on speaker as you towel dried your hair. 

Good evening, Miss L/n. My name is Daniel Gordon from First National Bank. I am calling because we have been noticing non-typical behavior with your account. Could you please call me back. I’ll be available until 9:00 p.m. tonight or tomorrow from 9 to 4 p.m. at 800-214-3762, extension 5214. Thank you, Miss L/n. Talk to you soon.

“Fuck me!” you semi shouted as you released the call. “That stupid debit card.”

Steve could hear talking coming from the bathroom and figured you were either on the phone or had started holding intense conversations with yourself. He was chuckling until he saw you exit the bathroom with a disgruntled look on your face. He tried to look past that as he had never seen you in loungewear and wet, tousled hair before. He thought it was kind of hot. Shaking his head a bit and trying to be funny and curb your attitude, he commented, “Wow! New uniform?“

You stopped in the middle of the hallway and after a literal count to four, snapped out of your brain fog and shot him a shy smile as you looked down and remembered what you were wearing. “Phhhfft, I’d be comfortable on missions, that’s for sure!” you gested, continuing down the hall toward him as he stood in the kitchen. 

Knowing something was amiss, he tried to find out what was wrong. “Your face is telling me a story that you’re clearly not happy. Everything okay?”

“Well, I’ve been having trouble with my bank card and now the bank has called me to come in as there are some strange transactions on my account, I guess. I’ve got a block on it now, but my bank app isn’t showing anything is wrong.” You stood behind one of the kitchen chairs, sighed and tipped your head back to look at the ceiling. “It’s just that a lot of weird stuff has been happening to me lately and I don’t get it.”

Steve walked over and gave you a hug. With your face squished into his chest, you continued, “I can see now why people lose their shit so easily and go on a rampage.” His chest bounced as he laughed. He didn’t mean to but your choice of words struck him as funny and after a moment, it actually made you start to giggle. He didn’t know it went beyond the apartment breakin and the bank issues, but you weren’t going to get into it with him. It would only make him worry but in the back of your mind, you knew there was a connection between those two situations and the two times you were ‘bumped’ into on the sidewalk.

“I’ll help you through this, F/n.“

“I appreciate that, Steve,” you pulled away from his embrace, “but you don’t…….”

“Nonsense! Tell you what, tomorrow I’ll hang around and make sure your door gets replaced and after work, I’ll help you clean up your apartment.”

You shot him a glare, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Fine, you’ll only hound me until I cave anyway,” you giggled.

He started to laugh as he let you go, “Got that right! Now sit! Eat!” he commanded.

“Wow, yes, Captain,” you laughed. Steve realized what he said and gave a shy smile. He knew your personality and figured you would take it in jest. He liked that about you. He liked a lot of things about you.

After dinner, you both settled into his living room. Steve played some soft music on his record player and sat by the lamp with a book. You were on the sofa and working on your laptop. Every once in a while, Steve would look up and see you and your intense train of thought. His brain was taking in the scenario of having you around and enjoying your presence. After looking at you a half dozen times, there was only once when you looked up and caught his gaze. His cheeks flushed at record pace and he quickly glanced away with a quirky smile on his face. You shot your gaze back down to your laptop and hoped he couldn’t hear your heart thumping excessively through your chest wall.

It was half past nine and you could barely keep your eyes open. Closing your laptop and placing it on the table, you grabbed the blanket at the end of the sofa and started to wrap yourself in its warmth. “I can’t keep my eyes open any longer,” you admitted as you leaned back onto the armrest.

“Oh no you don’t,” Steve shot up from his chair and quickly put his book down.

“What?”

“You’re not sleeping out here. You’re going into my room. I’m staying on the sofa tonight.”

“No, I’m just fine right here.”

“Nope, don’t think so.” He walked over to you and scooped you up.

“Hey, put me down! Steve! Stop!” You wriggled and tried to get away but the blanket was your constraint. You were too wrapped up in it and when he picked you up, you couldn’t escape. “Ugh, Steve!” You growled as he turned the corner into his room.

“Listen! I changed my bedsheets while you were in the shower. Don’t argue, just sleep,” he tossed you outward and you landed on his bed.

You bounced a couple times on his mattress and after squirming out of the blanket, turned to him, “Ooooh, this is comfortable. Okay, I give up, I’ll stay in here,” you plunked your head on his pillow.

“Good! I’ll see you in the morning,” he stated softly. He stood there for a moment, almost not knowing what to do next.

“Thank you, Steve. You’re too good to me,” you commented. A small yawn escaped your lips.

“Good night, F/n,” he spoke as he backed away, out the door, closing it behind him. He stood in the hallway, wondering, wishing, regretting. He wanted to make everything better. He wanted you to know he was there for you. He wanted to kiss you.

~~~~~~

Morning came too quickly for your liking but the smell of fresh coffee filled the apartment and quickly made you happy. Steve must have come into the room during the night as your suitcase was by the closet door and your work clothes were hanging on the nearby hook. You smiled at his gesture and got out of bed to tackle the day. Putting your pants and blouse on, you found your toiletry bag in the luggage and made your way to the bathroom.

Steve heard the water running and a smile crept onto his face. He finished cutting the fruit and placed the coffee carafe and a mug at your place on the table. When you came down the hallway, he chirped, “Mornin’ Sunshine!”

“Good morning,” you smiled brightly.

“You sleep okay?” he asked as he pulled bacon from the oven, slightly distracted by your form-fitting attire and bare feet.

“I did, thank you. Oh, that smells soooo good,” you beamed as you pulled your chair out to sit. Steve carefully put the sunny side up eggs on the platter with the meat and brought it to the table. “Wow, you really didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I would have been happy with toast,” you jested.

“Whaddya mean, trouble? This is normal for me.”

You stared blankly at him for a moment then burst out laughing. “I should have known such a strapping lad would require this much fuel in the morning,” you blurted in your best Scottish accent.

It was Steve’s turn to laugh, impressed by your dialect, then remembering you were always changing accents when on missions with Natasha. Between breaths, he questioned, “Strapping, huh?”

Your eyes rolled as your cheeks started to burn. You were sure Steve noticed the color change. If you could feel it, he could see it. Your gaze intentionally made its way to your food, hoping he would brush it off and change the subject. The seconds ticked away like hours and you were sure your face wasn’t any cooler or less red. You popped a cut strawberry into your mouth before a slight chuckle escaped your lips and you finally broke the awkward silence. “So, I just wanted to say thank you for all this,” your hand gestured around the table, “and for helping me with my apartment. Lately, I feel like everyone has had to take me by the hand and guide me through my life. It’s no one’s job to take that on.”

“Woah, hey,” he blurted, almost angry. “Why wouldn’t we help you?”

“I’m a very independent person but lately, I feel like things have been crashing down and I’ve become a burden, of sorts. I just want to get everything back to normal, or crawl in a hole and hide,” you sighed.

“Listen,” he reached across the table and put his hand on yours, “we are all friends, we are all part of a team. When one needs help, we’re there for each other. You’ve been there for me from day one. I can’t ever forget that. Even though I felt like throwing in the towel many times, you were a constant presence that I could rely on to help me through.” He rubbed your hand, “You may not think it now, but when this fog clears, you’ll be relieved you didn’t go through it alone.”

Your eyes flicked up to meet his own, the gaze, intense. His face was stern, solid, masculine. His eyes were bluer than you had ever seen. Thank the Gods your hand was underneath his as you started to sweat. You went to speak but nothing came out, defeated by his statement. After a few seconds, you tried again, “You’re too good to me,” you breathed. And with that, he gently removed his hand and you both continued to eat your breakfast. 

~~~~~~

“What on Earth are you doing here?” Pepper stormed.

Your face spoke volumes, your neck kinked back and a massive look of confusion crossed your brow. You hesitated to speak, “I, uhhh, work here…...with you. I still do, right?” your humerous attempt seemed to be in bad timing. She didn’t look impressed.

“You need to be home today, taking care of things,” she waved her hand all around her head.

“What do you mean?” you asked cautiously. “I have paperwork to get to Legal today.”

“Hand it over,” she held out her hand, fingers wiggling to take away your folders. She was not giving in.

“Pepper? What’s going on?” Your eyes started to water and your heart pounded feverishly against your chest wall as you handed over the paperwork.

“Oh, Honey!” Pepper came around her desk, her arms open, an obvious hug coming your way. “Steve called me this morning and told me what happened to your apartment and that you’re still having bank issues.”

“Ahhh,” you nodded, now realizing why she wanted you to go home. “Pepper, it’s fine. I’m not leaving work for personal issues.”

“F/n, you take everything like a trooper, but I’m telling you to take the time and get things sorted. You deserve to have your life in order. Lord knows Tony has made a mess of my life,” she smiled, “but between you and I, at least one of us should have our shit together.”

Your eyes were saucers as she spoke and within a second, you turned your eyes to the ceiling, allowing a tear to escape the corner. As you quickly wiped it away, you prayed she didn’t see it, but you knew better. An exhale escaped into the room and the corners of your lips curled into a small arch in relief.

“And that’s what I’m talking about,” she held your shoulders and stared into your soul. “You’re such a strong woman who never puts her emotions on her sleeve. I don’t think you’ve given yourself enough time to grieve.”

“Grieve?”

She looked at you sadly, “Adam.”

Your heart sank. “Oh yeah, him.” Maybe you didn’t grieve but it wasn’t like you to wallow. He was an ass and you moved on from him and his corrosive ways. “Pepper, he was toxic and I can’t dwell on it, I can’t relive it, I can’t let it interfere. It’s just,” you paused and drew a breath, “it feels like stupid shit’s been happening since the night we broke up and I can’t figure it out.”

She sighed, “Then take the time to figure the stupid shit out. Go home, F/n. Do what you need to in order to put your mind at ease.”

“But you…..”

“No buts!” she interrupted. “I’ll be fine, quit worrying about me.” She turned your shoulders and faced you toward the door. “Now shoo. I’ll see you tomorrow.“

You looked back at her, “Thank you, Pep. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Sweetie. Now get out before I sick Tony on you.”

“Woah, ‘nuff said. I’m outta here,” you jested as you headed toward the door, praying Tony wasn’t on the other side, waiting to harass you.

~~~~~~

“Good Afternoon, Miss L/n. Thank you so much for coming in.”

“So what is going on with my account?”

“Well, Miss L/n, we found it strange and uncharacteristic as you’ve been a customer of ours for a very long time. You’ve had a good sum of money in your account and you put a $100 withdrawal limit on the account yourself.”

“That’s correct,” you stated, confused.

“Well, your maximum withdrawal has been met every day for a number of weeks and yesterday, our firewall stopped a computer attempt to clear your account.”

“WHAT!!!!!!” Your voice boomed through the office.

“We put a freeze on your account until we could speak with you and that’s why I called last night. Someone must have your PIN number if it wasn’t you taking $100 out every day. As for the hacking, we are looking into the source.”

“No! It was most certainly not me,” you huffed as you pulled out your phone. Scrolling through your bank app, you held up your account information. “This is how much my app is telling me is here.” Your gaze moved to Daniel, “How much are you telling me I actually have, Mr. Gordon?”

Your information was already on his screen. He clicked a few times with the mouse and swung the screen so you could see. A gasp escaped your throat as your savings had dropped by $4700.00. “And you’re telling me someone tried to clear the rest out yesterday?”

“Yes, but we caught it and we’re tracking this entire situation.” He sat back at his desk and placed his hands on top of each other. “We will take care of this, Miss L/n.”

You looked unconvinced and Daniel knew it although you stroked his ego and nodded in agreement. Then he was really confused. Standing from your seat, you placed your business card in front of him and stated, “I want this hacker found and I want my money back. We’ll discuss further security measures once this has been rectified.” You turned toward the door to leave. He picked up the card and although he had all your contact numbers, it jolted his memory as to who your employer was and that recollection scared him. Stark Industries had really good lawyers.

“Yes, Miss L/n. Absolutely.“

Your blood was getting used to boiling. Your brain was seething. Over the span of a matter of weeks your fiance was no more, your latte runs were becoming hazardous to your health, your apartment was ransacked, your bank account was hacked into and Tony pulled your arm out of your socket. Wait, what???? Where the Hell did that come from? Shit, you’d have to make him something to make him feel better about that little incident and to make yourself feel better for allowing that horrible thought to come to the forefront of your anger-fuelled rage. 

Chocolate Whiskey Whoopie Pies, he’d like those. Actually, everyone would. You decided to make a few batches and take them to the Tower. That alone seemed to brighten your mood as you headed home to clean up the mess the intruders left behind.

The elevator doors opened on your floor and there stood Steve, the Landlord and another gentleman. They were having a conversation while waiting for the lift. Steve smiled as you stepped toward them. “Hi everyone.”

“Hi F/n. We’ve got your door installed. You’re all good now,” your Landlord affirmed. “This is Jeff from Global Doors,” Mr. Jensen continued. Jeff held out his hand to shake yours and you reciprocated.

“Thank you so much,” you smiled with relief. “Thanks for coming out so quickly.”

“My pleasure.” He turned with the Landlord and got into the elevator. Both men smiled as the doors closed and you turned to Steve with an excited look on your face. 

He smiled and placed his hand on the small of your back, leading you toward your apartment. “Glad you’re home.”

That sounded interesting.

He opened your apartment door, “I sort of started the clean up for you.” He shyly grinned as you walked through the door and watched his face.

“What do you mea……,” you cut yourself off as you looked into your apartment. Pictures were rehung, large furniture was put back in its place, pillows were propped and straightened, your bookcase was upright and everything that was on the floor was on the kitchen table, ready to be sorted by you. “You did this? For me?” you turned and saw his childlike smile, happy with his accomplishment but still seeking your approval. You couldn’t recall seeing this expression before.

“I started,” he shied away and walked toward your table. “I didn’t know where some things went so I put them here. And I didn’t go into your bedroom,” his voice was seriously toned because he didn’t want you to think he was snooping. “It gave me something to do while the door was being installed.”

You started walking into the living room, looked around and was stunned at how clean everything looked. The patio door was in and there was no mess. You turned quickly and faced the blushing man.

“Wow,” was all you could say at this point.

“I cleaned up all the glass,” he continued. “I hope this was okay,” he asked.

“Steve, I don’t know what to say except thank you. You really didn’t have to do all this.”

“I wanted to,” he admitted. “I figured it would save you some time since you were working and going to the bank. How did that go, by the way?” Steve walked toward your fridge, pulled out a water bottle and a beer bottle and held them up. You pointed to the beer, he put the water back and grabbed a second brew.

“Ugh, it was horrible,” you huffed as Steve approached and opened the beer for you. You sat on the sofa and he sat in the closest chair, opening his own bottle. “So, I found out that I was hacked.”

Steve almost spit out his beer. “What?” he almost yelled.

“I’ve lost almost five grand and the bank blocked a computer attempt to drain my account.”

“F/n, that’s horrible. What are they doing to correct this? What do we need to do? Maybe we should get Natasha…..”

“No, no, Steve, no! I appreciate that you want to help, I really do, but I can’t ask any of you to get involved. The bank’s working on it, my account is frozen and it has been reconveyed to them that I work at Stark Industries.” You stopped for a second and pondered, “Maybe I will talk to Tony.”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

You sighed and took a sip of beer then watched Steve do the same.

Steve helped you sort and put away the items he scavenged from your living room floor which took all of twenty minutes. He tightened the legs on your armchair that he noticed were loose then the two of you cleaned the patio window. The simple task turned competition as you raced to see who had the least amount of streaks. He was faster but you told him not to quit his day job.

Steve’s phone pinged and he walked to the kitchen table to pick it up. After responding to a couple of texts, he turned and put his tech in his back pocket. “I’m sorry. I have to step out for a little bit.”

“Oh,” you turned toward him, “no worries. Thank you for all your help, Steve. You’ve done above and beyond.” You stepped to give him a hug.

“I’m coming back,” he stated strongly. You cocked your head in confusion and dropped your arms. “Don’t give me that look,” he smiled. “I’m not deserting you.” He looked at his watch, “I’ll bring dinner on my way back.”

“Steve. Yo….”

He stepped toward you and put his index finger over your lips. Your eyebrows raised. “I’m coming back, end of story.” He leaned forward and kissed your forehead before removing his finger. He stepped his body back and gently retracted his finger, watching your cheeks turn fifty shades of red before settling on the darkest shade your body could muster.

Your eyes shot down to the floor as you answered, “Okay. Thank you.”

He smiled gently and left your apartment. You stood frozen to your spot as you felt the heat of his lips still on your forehead. Shaking your head, you brought yourself back to the here and now and forced yourself to head to your bedroom for the next stage of cleanup duty.

It wasn’t until you opened your bedroom door and saw your belongings strewn from the drawers and thrown across the room that you felt, for the first time, your items were tainted and dirty. Everything was sorted, a load put into a laundry basket and off to the washing machine you went with it. When you returned, you stripped your bedding and threw it in the hamper, fixed your mattress, put fresh linens on and put all your drawers back into the dresser. A couple of trinkets were broken and you figured you could Crazy Glue them back together. When your bedroom was complete, you headed to the bathroom. No one ever ransacks a bathroom. It wasn’t touched but you removed the towels for laundry and cleaned it all anyway. You were just grossed out by knowing someone was among your things. You didn’t feel anything had been stolen so the motive for hitting up your apartment was still a mystery.

After shifting your laundry around, you decided to get to work on those whoopie pies. Your alcohol stash was on the tallest shelf above your kitchen sink so you reached up for the whiskey. Remembering you still had a beer sitting on the coffee table, you smiled as you went to get it. Baking was always more fun when you drank alcohol as opposed to just cooking with it. 

An hour went by and the first couple dozen pies were done and the second dozen were cooling before filling. A knock came to your door and you confirmed it was Steve when you looked through the peephole. When the door swung open, Steve inhaled sharply and stood there, almost in a daze as he took in the glorious smell of your baking. His arms were full of takeout and you had to grab his biceps and lure him into the apartment. “You’re such a goof,” you chuckled.

He smiled back as he placed the food on the kitchen table. Wandering over to the fresh baked goods, you warned, “Don’t you touch those.” He immediately shifted both hands behind his back, proving he wasn’t going to touch. Instead, he leaned over and inhaled again. “Okay Mister, you’ll get to have some for dessert, quit drooling on them.”

“If I drool on them, they’re mine, right?”

You laughed as you pulled the food from the bags and placed everything on the table. Steve managed to break his trance and join you. “I went to Joe’s Deli and got a pastrami on rye and a shaved chicken club on sourdough. This bag has all the toppings,” he stated as he started to open bag number two. “I thought we could split the sandwiches and top each our own way.” He kept pulling smaller containers from the bag and placing them all over the table.

You watched and finally asked, “Holy crap! How many toppings did you get?”

“All of them,” he smiled, proud of himself.

Your hand cupped your cheek, “Oy ve!” Smiling, you turned to fetch a knife, some utensils and a couple more beers. “We'll have to go for a long walk to work this off.”

“I'm up for that. It's a nice night,” he smiled as he tossed a green pepper slice into his mouth.

“Maybe we could walk to the Tower so I can drop off my desserts.”

Steve's face fell, “Oh, I guess we could.” His voice was clearly saddened and there was no picking that frown up off the ground.

You chuckled at his play for your baked goods. “Oh man, you're just sad, you know that?” He shot his head down toward the table while cutting the sandwiches and a clear smile was forming on his lips. “Twelve,” you huffed. “You can have twelve, ya big baby.”

“That's all?” You cocked your head and raised your eyebrow the highest he'd ever seen. He started to laugh, “Okay, twelve it is.“

After eating, you insisted Steve take the toppings to his apartment. He'd use them again in tomorrow's lunch, you were pretty sure. The man could definitely eat! You quickly put Steve's allotment of whoopie pies in a container and he left momentarily to take the food to his apartment. Before the door shut, you heard him dig into his little box of goodies and you turned your head just in time to see him shove an entire pie in his mouth. The smile on your face was massive as you finished assembling the final twenty-four whoopies.

Steve came back into your apartment as you put the desserts into a carrier. He snapped the lid on for you and intended on carrying it on your walk. “Ready?” he smiled.

“Absolutely.” You grabbed your keys and locked the door after you and Steve exited. 

The evening was beautiful, warm with the sun lowering in the sky. Steve's long legs set a pleasant pace to the Tower. You were used to walking alongside him in missions so speed was never a bother. Steve cracked up laughing when you asked him how many whoopie pies he ate when he was at his apartment for thirty seconds. He cracked you up when he finally admitted he ate six.

He seemed relaxed around you, smiled more, even laughed. Captain America was serious, always on the job, taking on the problems of the world. It was nice to see him open up and finally enjoy doing things. 

He spoke about the USO Veterans evening tomorrow night and thanked you profusely for being his guest. You gasped quite loudly. “Oh,” Steve's voice fell in disappointment. “Are you not able to go?” he asked, cautiously.

“Oh, no, no! I'm sorry, Steve, I just forgot it was tomorrow. I've been ready to go for weeks, it slipped my mind with everything that's been going on lately.” You put your hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

“You're sure?”

“Absolutely. I didn't mean to alarm you. I'm sorry.” You let out a single chuckle, “I seem to be saying that a lot lately. I feel like a broken record.”

Steve smiled with relief and reached for your hand, “You gave me a scare but I'll forgive you, this one time,” he smiled and squeezed your hand. Your cheeks blushed as you turned the corner and saw the glow of Stark Tower before you. 

“God, that tower is beautiful.”

Steve nodded in agreement but his mind was saying 'and so are you.'

You dropped off Tony's little baked good surprise and texted him that there was something waiting for him in the lounge. On your way out of the tower, JARVIS notified you through your phone that it took him one minute and fifty-three seconds for him to reach the tasty treats and he devoured seven of them on his way back down to his lab.

“Oh my God! He beat your intake record,” you laughed at Steve.

When your giggles settled, you became serious and turned the topic back to the USO evening tomorrow. “Steve?”

“L/n?” he smiled and commented, “So serious. What’s up?”

“About tomorrow night. Are you going to be okay?”

Two Years Ago……

He had been invited as a guest to the USO Veterans Evening. His nerves were getting the best of him as he put on his service attire. He knew no one else’s uniform would look like his. The Army Vets were thrilled to see him but Steve’s he/art saddened as the night went on. Remembering all he lost and the new expectations placed upon him suddenly became overwhelming. The great Captain America can take it, so the public would say. He's a hero. He'll always do the right thing, he'll always protect us. They seemed to forget about Steve Rogers, what he went through, what he was going through. The bar was set pretty high for a man who hadn't walked the Earth in seventy years. 

When the evening ended, he climbed into the cab and started shaking. As the vehicle pulled up to his apartment, he made the decision that he needed to talk to her. Thank God she lived next door. He couldn’t knock as his breathing escalated and sweat started to form on his forehead. He stood outside her door, praying she’d open up. His chest felt tighter and tighter. She had been his rock and his comfort ever since he came out of the ice and their friendship was solid. She was the only one he felt comfortable sharing and reliving the intimate details of his life. He needed her badly.

He didn’t know how she knew, but she did. The door miraculously opened and he fell into her arms. Now totally overcome, he couldn’t rid himself of the tremendous loss of his own life experience. He was supposed to have died but got a second chance, whether he wanted it or not. No one is supposed to wake up after something like that, it’s not normal. Seventy years is a massive amount of time, generational, irreplaceable, incomprehensible. He didn’t get to grieve for his fallen friends. He didn’t get to live a normal life after the war. He didn’t get to be with his girl. He didn’t get to raise a family. Was this God’s cruel joke or Science tinkering with immortality? It didn’t matter because now he’s living a life he didn’t ask for and struggling to catch up. There were days when he thought he just wanted to be gone and when he found out that Peggy was still alive, it literally broke him.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his torso as he stood motionless at the door. They stood there until he could finally move, then spent hours on the sofa, talking, laughing, crying. It was the best therapy he could have asked for.

One Year Ago……

The annual USO Veterans Evening invitation was sent to him again. There was no way he wouldn’t continue to be an honored guest. He had done so well over the past year that it wasn’t a difficult decision to RSVP with a yes. His plan? He was bringing a guest. There was no way he couldn’t take her. She had so much invested in him, he wanted to repay her somehow, someway. An evening out to experience a little of his timeline seemed perfect and he knew he would be more relaxed if she was in his presence.

The evening was beautiful, she was beautiful, in every sense of the word. Her brown dress with white polka dots was stunning and she was adamant she wanted to match his uniform. When he grabbed her hand and squeezed, she absolutely knew he needed her not to leave him. They had been around each other enough that she picked up on all his body language when he was nervous or anxious. It didn’t happen often during the evening and she was proud of him. She even saw a few genuine smiles and knew it was much better this year. 

A few of the veterans nudged the Captain and inquired about his date. He smiled politely, stated the truth about her being his coworker and continued to draw his eye to her. She took a veteran to the dance floor and gently swayed his wheelchair back and forth as he waved his arms to the music. She was amazing with everyone she met and her easy going demeanor made his comfort level more at ease.

He decided, then and there, he would always invite her. How could he not?

“I am absolutely going to be fine tomorrow,” he smiled at her. “Actually, I’m really looking forward to it.”

You studied his face and determined he truly meant it. You smiled back, “Me, too.”

~~~~~~

Steve knocked on your door at five o'clock, sharp. When you opened it up, his breath was taken aback. You were stunning.

The dress was cream coloured, cut to the knee and flowed like a dream. Your hair was done in a loose rendition of 1940's style and your makeup was evening elegant and simple. Gold embellished your ears and neck in the form of dainty jewellery. Brown pumps and a handbag completed the ensemble.

You closed the door and stated jokingly, “Is that drool?” A smile on your face, you stood and let Steve take in your appearance. 

“Oh, wow! You look beautiful.” His eyes were wide like a doe and skimmed all over your body.

You reached up to straighten his tie, “Thank you. You know, for the age of this uniform, it’s still pretty striking on you.” He shot his hand up to grab yours as you held his lapel. His face went a little flushed. His movement startled you and you jumped a bit. “Are you okay?” you asked, thinking you did something wrong.

“No. Yes,” he chuckled a little then gave a beautiful smile. “Listen, before we go...” he trailed off and rubbed the back of your hand, still holding it at his lapel. You looked at him, eyebrows raised, waiting for his next words but they never came. His gaze was shooting through your eyes to your soul. It was comforting, soft, reassuring, so why did it make you nervous? He smiled gently and brought his free hand up to cup your cheek.

Oh shit, shit, shit. Is he going to kiss me? Is he? Is he going to…..oh fuck, he’s going to kiss me. The profanities ran through your brain and the thumping of your heart suddenly felt like it was going to burst out of your chest. You inhaled a gasp and like an eagle, he honed in and watched your lips part. He couldn’t wait any longer. It was now or never.

His head bowed toward you and slowed just before you touched. His breath escaped like a whisper on your lips, “Can I?”

You closed your eyes, waiting in anticipation and breathed your heart’s answer, “Yes.”

Warmth touched your lips, a softness you couldn’t believe was his. His bottom lip moved to envelope yours and you tightened the grip on his jacket. His thumb carefully caressed your cheek, slightly shaking as it made its way toward your ear, the remaining fingers finding themselves in your hair at the back of your neck. Goosebumps followed.

He was gentle and warm and it felt like home, a feeling you didn’t want to end. Alas, all good things must. He slowly pulled his lips away, both of you smiling as your faces remained close. He placed a few smaller kisses to your cheek and nose before resting his forehead against yours, eyes closed and tasting his bottom lip. You watched his expression with an equally soft lift to your face.

His hand had left your hair and slid its way down your shoulder and arm, his other hand meeting up with it at the small of your back. He pulled away from your forehead and brought you into a hug, your head resting in the familiar position on his chest, arms wrapped around his torso.

A comfortable peace settled over both your bodies and no words needed to be spoken. The kiss lived over and over again in your mind. With your ear over his heart, you listened to the thumping through his chest wall. Steve kissed your hair and you slowly pulled your head away from his chest. Looking down at you, he smiled and your return gaze reassured him this was okay. He had worried about this for weeks, but that’s what Steve Rogers did. He fretted about everything. Now he was exhilarated, happy, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He placed a gentle kiss on your lips again before releasing you from his hold. “Are you ready?” his voice spoke softly as he held out his hand for you to take and continue to hold throughout the evening. With fingers entwined at the USO evening, you were more than a mere guest of the great Captain America. You were becoming the girlfriend of Steve Rogers.


End file.
